Low-temperature MOVPE growth of ZnO thin films by using a buffer layer

ZnO thin films have been grown on a-plane (1,1,−2,0) sapphire substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) at low substrate temperature of 350 °C. It is showed that the crystal and electrical quality of the thin films was improved by using a ZnO buffer layer. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements indicate that the ZnO thin films grown at such a low substrate temperature have a strong UV emission.     

片上制备横向结构ZnO纳米线阵列紫外探测器件

将纳米技术与传统的微电子工艺相结合, 片上制备了横向结构氧化锌(ZnO)纳米线阵列紫外探测器件, 纳米线由水热法直接自组织横向生长于叉指电极之间, 再除去斜向的多余纳米线, 其余工艺步骤与传统工艺相同. 分别尝试了铬(Cr)和金(Au)两种金属电极的器件结构: 由于Cr电极对其上纵向生长的纳米线有抑制作用, 导致横向生长纳米线长度可到达对侧电极, 光电响应方式为受表面氧离子吸附控制的光电导效应, 光电流大但增益低, 响应速度慢, 经二次电极加固, 纳米线根部与电极金属直接形成肖特基接触, 光电响应方式变为光伏效应, 增益和速度得到了极大改善; 由于Au电极对其上纵向生长的纳米线有催化作用, 导致溶质资源的竞争, 相同时间内横向生长的纳米线不能到达对侧, 而是交叉桥接, 但却形成了紫外光诱导的纳米线间势垒结高度调控机理, 得到的器件特性为最优, 在波长为365 nm的20 mW/cm²紫外光照下, 1 V电压时暗电流为10^-9 A, 光增益可达8×10⁵, 响应时间和恢复时间分别为1.1 s和1.3 s.     

Pulsed laser deposition of high-quality ZnO films using a high temperature deposited ZnO buffer layer

High-quality ZnO film growth on sapphire was achieved by pulsed laser deposition using a high temperature deposited ZnO buffer layer. This high temperature deposited buffer layer remarkably improves crystallinity of subsequent films. In particular, the full width at half-maximum of X-ray diffraction ω-rocking curves for ZnO films grown with the buffer layer is 0.0076° (27.36 arcsec) and 0.1242° (447.12 arcsec) for the out-of-plane (002) and in-plane (102) reflections, respectively. In addition, ZnO films grown with this buffer layer showed a carrier mobility of 88 cm²/V s, which is three times higher than that realized for ZnO films grown without the buffer layer. The room temperature photoluminescence spectra showed strong band edge emission with little or no defect-related visible emission. PACS 78.55.Et; 81.05.Dz     

ZnO:Ag film growth on Si substrate with ZnO buffer layer by rf sputtering

ZnO buffer layers were deposited on n-Si (1 0 0) substrate by rf magnetron sputtering at a lower power of 40 W. Then Ag-doped ZnO (SZO) films were deposited on buffered and non-buffered Si at a higher sputtering power of 100 W. The effects of buffer layer on the structural, electrical and optical properties of SZO films were investigated. The three-dimensional island growth process of ZnO buffer layer was discussed. The energy band diagram of p-SZO/n-Si heterojunction was constructed based on Anderson's model. Results show the ZnO buffer layer leads to better properties of SZO film, including larger grain size, smoother surface, higher carrier mobility, better rectifying behavior, lower interface state density, and weaker deep-level emission. It is because the ZnO buffer layer effectively relaxes the partial stress induced by the large lattice mismatch between SZO and Si.     

CaO buffer layer for the growth of ZnO thin film

We report the effect of CaO buffer layers on the structural properties of sputter-grown ZnO thin films. X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that enhanced crystallinity and alleviated compressive strain in the ZnO thin film were achieved by inserting a very thin CaO buffer layer between ZnO and the sapphire substrate. The interface was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and the result showed that the growth of CaO on the sapphire substrate follows the Stranski–Kristanov mode. The mechanism for the control of crystallinity and strain in the ZnO thin film was discussed, and was found to be strongly related to the growth mode of the CaO buffer layer.     

Fabrication and characteristics of a surface acoustic wave UV sensor based on ZnO thin films grown on a polycrystalline 3C-SiC buffer layer

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited onto a polycrystalline (poly) 3C-SiC buffer layer for surface acoustic wave (SAW) ultraviolet (UV) sensing using a magnetron sputtering system. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed that the ZnO film grown on 3C-SiC/Si had a dominant c-axis orientation, a lower residual stress, and higher intensity of luminescence at 380 nm of ZnO thin film. The SAW resonator UV detector were fabricated on ZnO/Si structures with a 3C-SiC buffer layer. The SAW resonator exposed under UV illumination had a linear response with sensitivity of 85 Hz/(μW/cm²) in ZnO/3C-SiC/Si structures, as compared to 25 Hz/(μW/cm²) in ZnO/Si structures with UV intensity varied until 600 μW/cm².     

Structural and morphological properties of thin ZnO films grown by pulsed laser deposition

The pulsed laser deposition technique was used to produce zinc oxide thin films onto silicon and Corning glass substrates. Homogeneous surfaces exhibiting quite small Root Mean Square (RMS) roughness, consisting of shaped grains were obtained, their grain diameters being 40-90 nm at room temperature and at 650 °C growth respectively. Films were polycrystalline, even for growth at room temperature, with preferential crystallite orientation the (0 0 2) basal plane of wurtzite ZnO. Temperature increase caused evolution from grain to grain agglomeration structures, improving crystallinity. Compressive to tensile stresses transition with temperature was found while the lattice constant decreased.     

表面修饰ZnO纳米线紫外光响应的增强效应

制备了基于单根ZnO纳米线的紫外光探测原型器件,并研究了聚苯乙烯硫酸钠表面修饰对器件紫外响应特性的影响.研究发现,在相同的紫外光照射条件下,表面修饰后的器件对紫外光的探测灵敏度比修饰前提高了3个数量级.I-V特性研究表明,修饰前后器件在光照时的电导没有明显变化,但修饰后器件的暗电导却下降了3个数量级.这说明通过表面修饰降低探测器的暗电导是提高紫外光探测器灵敏度的一条重要途径. 关键词： 紫外光探测器 纳米结构 ZnO 表面修饰     

Surface morphology of ZnO buffer layer and its effects on the growth of GaN films on Si substrates by magnetron sputtering

ZnO thin films were first prepared on Si(111) substrates using a radio frequency magnetron sputtering system. Then the as-grown ZnO films were annealed in oxygen ambient at temperatures of 700, 800, 900, and 1000°C , respectively. The morphologies of ZnO films were studied by an atom force microscope (AFM). Subsequently, GaN epilayers about 500 nm thick were deposited on the ZnO buffer layers. The GaN/ZnO films were annealed in NH₃ ambient at 900°C. The microstructure, morphology and optical properties of GaN films were studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD), AFM, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL). The results are shown, their properties having been investigated particularly as a function of the ZnO layers. For better growth of the GaN films, the optimal annealing temperature of the ZnO buffer layers was 900°C.     

Effects of the annealing duration of the ZnO buffer layer on structural and optical properties of ZnO rods grown by a hydrothermal process

In this study, the effects of the annealing duration of a zinc oxide (ZnO) buffer layer on structural and optical properties of ZnO rods grown by a hydrothermal process are discussed. A ZnO buffer layer was deposited on p-type Si (1 1 1) substrates by the metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. After that, ZnO rods were grown on the ZnO-buffer/Si (1 1 1) substrate by a hydrothermal process. In order to determine the optimum annealing duration of the buffer layer for the growth of ZnO rods, durations ranging from 0.5 to 30 min were tried. The morphology and crystal structure of the ZnO/ZnO-buffer/Si (1 1 1) were measured by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The optical properties were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) measurement.     

Growth of Ga-doped ZnO films with ZnO buffer layer by sputtering at room temperature

Gallium-doped zinc oxide films have been grown on glass substrates with and without ZnO buffer layers by r.f. magnetron sputtering at room temperature. In this approach, the grey relational Taguchi method analysis is adopted to solve the coating process with multiple deposition qualities. Optimal coating parameters can then be determined by using the gray relational grade as a performance index. The GZO coating parameters (r.f. power, sputtering pressure, O₂/(Ar+O₂) flow-rate ratios, and deposition time) are optimized, by taking into account the multiple performance characteristics (structural, morphological, deposition rate, electrical resistivity, and optical transmittance). The results indicate that with the grey relational Taguchi method, the electrical resistivity of GZO films is reduced from 9.23×10⁻³ to 5.77×10⁻³ Ω cm and optical transmittance increases from 79.42% to 82.95%, respectively. The ZnO buffer layer can reduce the electrical resistivity of GZO films from 5.77×10⁻³ to 2.38×10⁻³ Ω cm. It can be anticipated that room temperature deposition enables film deposition onto polymeric substrates for flexible optoelectronic devices.     

Processing of micro-particles by UV laser irradiation in a field cage

An electric cage-laser micro-turning lathe was realised and applied to contact-free handling and mechanical processing of micro particles. Since particles with diameters of several micrometers cannot be fixed in mechanical chucks, an octode field cage was used to trap and rotate a single particle in a fluid without any mechanical surface contact. A pulsed nitrogen laser of high beam quality focused to about 1 μm in diameter could be adjusted independently of the cage position. The trapping forces (negative dielectrophoresis) acting on a bead of 5 to 15 μm are up to several hundred pN. This and the surrounding fluid damp down the effect of the laser pulses during bead processing. Examples demonstrating the possibilities of this technique are shown. Microsystems with high optical quality were fabricated photolithographically or by laser direct-write chemical vapor deposition (LCVD). Technical and biotechnological applications are discussed. Received: 20 October 1999 / Accepted: 27 October 1999 / Published online: 10 November 1999     

Characteristics of ZnO epilayer on the post-annealed buffer layer on GaN/sapphire substrate by pulsed laser deposition

We employed epi-GaN substrates for ZnO film growth, and studied the deposition and post-annealing effects. ZnO films were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The as-grown films were annealed for one hour under atmospheric pressure air. ZnO morphologies after annealing were investigated and the post-annealed ZnO films grown at T _g =700^oC have very smooth surfaces and the rms with roughness is about 0.5 nm. Finally, ZnO post-annealed buffer layer was inserted between ZnO epilayer and GaN/sapphire substrates. It is confirmed by AFM that growth temperature of 700^oC helps the films grow in step-flow growth mode. It is observed by cathode luminescence spectrum that the ZnO film grown at 700^oC has very low visible luminescence, indicating the decrease of the deep level defects. It is also revealed by Hall measurements that carrier concentration is decreased by increasing the growth temperatures. It is suggested that low temperature buffer layer growth and post-annealing technique can be used to fabricate ZnO hetero-epitaxy.     

Room temperature growth and properties of ZnO films by pulsed laser deposition

ZnO thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature on glass substrates with oxygen pressures of 10-30 Pa. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of ZnO films were studied in detail. ZnO films had an acceptable crystal quality with high c-axis orientation and smooth surface. The resistivity was in the 10² Ω cm order for ZnO films, with the electron concentration of 10¹⁶-10¹⁷ cm⁻³. All the films showed a high visible transmittance ∼90% and a high UV absorption about 90-100%. The UV emission ∼390 nm was observed in the photoluminescence spectra. The oxygen pressures in the 10-30 Pa range were suitable for room temperature growth of high-quality ZnO films.     

Controlling growth of ZnO rods by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and their optical properties

ZnO rods with different morphologies were synthesized through a wet chemical method by addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). By adjusting the concentration of the additive in the growth solution, we can control the diameter, ratio of length to diameter and density of ZnO rods. FESEM images showed that the rods in nanoscale could be obtained at the polyvinylpyrrolidone concentration of 1.0 mM. Meanwhile, the resonant Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectra showed that the crystalline quality and the optical property of ZnO rods were improved through moderate addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (concentration of 1.0 mM) in the growth solution. In addition, the possible mechanism of the PVP effect on the growth of ZnO rods was discussed based on the FT-IR spectra.     

Influence of buffer layer thickness on the structure and optical properties of ZnO thin films

A series of ZnO thin films were deposited on ZnO buffer layers by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The buffer layer thickness determination of microstructure and optical properties of ZnO films was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), optical transmittance and absorption measurements. XRD results revealed that the stress of ZnO thin films varied with the buffer layer thickness. With the increase of buffer layer thickness, the band gap edge shifted toward longer wavelength. The near-band-edge (NBE) emission intensity of ZnO films deposited on ZnO buffer layer also varied with the increase of thickness due to the spatial confinement increasing the Coulomb interaction between electrons and holes. The PL measurement showed that the optimum thickness of the ZnO buffer layer was around 12 nm.     

Pure UV photoluminescence from ZnO thin film by thermal retardation and using an amorphous SiO2 buffer layer

ZnO/SiO₂ thin films were fabricated on Si substrates by E-beam evaporation with thermal retardation. The as-prepared films were annealed for 2 h every 100 °C in the temperature range 400-800 °C under ambient air. The structural and optical properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL). The XRD analysis indicated that all ZnO thin films had a highly preferred orientation with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. From AFM images (AFM scan size is 1 μm×1 μm), the RMS roughnesses of the films were 3.82, 5.18, 3.65, 3.40 and 13.2 nm, respectively. PL measurements indicated that UV luminescence at only 374 nm was observed for all samples. The optical quality of the ZnO film was increased by thermal retardation and by using an amorphous SiO₂ buffer layer.     

Formation of anions of nitroaromatic compounds in gases during UV laser irradiation

The mechanism of formation of negative ions of trinitrotoluene, dinitrotoluene, and para-nitrotoluene in the gas phase under the action of laser irradiation was studied using ion mobility spectrometry. The gas mixture was ionized by the fourth harmonic radiation of a YAG:Nd³⁺ laser. The irradiance was varied within 2–5 MW/cm². It was demonstrated that, although the test compounds are characterized by a high cross section of absorption of laser radiation the formation of their anions occurs largely through the multiphoton ionization of organic admixtures present in the gas mixture with the subsequent attachment of electrons formed. In a nitrogen medium, the attachment of electrons occurs directly, whereas in air, the O ₂ ^? immediate plays an important role. Laser radiation causes the dissociation of the molecules under study, especially marked for para-nitrotoluene.     

Pulsed laser deposition of ZnO as conductive buffer layer of (001)-LiNbO3 thin films

1 (LO) mode peak at 579 cm^-1, indicating oxygen deficiency in the films. Significant dependence of the electrical property for the films on substrate temperature was shown. The I–V relation of the films exhibited non-ohmic behavior. Whereas the films deposited above 500 °C showed a metal-like property, at a lower substrate temperature semiconducting thin films were achieved. The (001)-oriented LiNbO₃/ZnO heterostructure was successfully prepared on quartz fused and (001) sapphire plates. Received: 6 April 1998/Accepted: 26 May 1998     

Micro-lens arrays generated by UV laser irradiation of doped PMMA

Micro-lenses with well-defined optical parameters are generated on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) substrates doped with diphenyltriazene (DPT) by controlled use of a swelling effect generated under conditions of subablative excimer laser illumination. The surface profiles depend on the laser spot size and energy density. A sensitively balanced combination of matrix softening, substrate volume expansion due to photochemical nitrogen release, and surface tension is responsible for the final shape of the lenses. Complete arrays of identical lenses with 15 μm diameters and a focal length of 30 μm are produced by irradiation of (0.25 wt. %) DPT-PMMA with a single laser pulse at a wavelength of 308 nm and a fluence of 3 J/cm². It is shown experimentally and theoretically that appropriate volume expansion is possible without introducing internal light scattering due to the formation of small bubbles. Received: 7 April 1999 / Accepted: 8 April 1999 / Published online: 5 May 1999